Solidarity of sin - Chambers, Oswald

Luke 11:2122 (rv) solidaritya consolidation or oneness of interests. I mean by sin, not sin in a particular sense, but in the big general sense, viz. , a violation or neglect of the moral law. Gods book all through shows a won- derful discrimination as to the nature of sin; it reveals that there is in the threefold aspect of sin the world, the flesh and the devil a oneness of interest with the prince of this world. Paul refers to the same thing, the supernatural inspiration of sin, in Ephesians 6:12: for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (rv). We have to beware of the flood of teaching abroad which makes out that sin is a disease, a defect in the finite; in the final analysis, it is red-handed rebellion against god.

Our lord makes it clear in this parable that the strong man is Satan, he is the prince of this world, and he is fully armed (RV ). The strong man idea is the one that appeals to men, the strong man physically, morally, strong in every way; the kingdoms of men are to be founded on strong men and the weak- est are to go to the wall. 12 history proves, however, that it is the strongest that go to the wall, not the weakest.

When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court . . . (RV)

Satan guards on two side she guards from the breaking out into external sins, and from the incursion of the spirit of god. It is not that a man guards himself, it is Satan guarding him; nothing is allowed to come into his court to disturb it. When men go into external sins and upset their life, Satan knows perfectly well that they will want a saviour, and as long as he can keep men in peace and unity and harmony apart from god, he will do it. The greatest number of men are moral, not immoral; a clean moral life which is sufficient for itself apart from god that is the evidence of the guarding of Satan, and we all know as workers for god the difficulty, the almost insuperable difficulty, there is in presenting the gospel to a good-living worldling, not because his mind is obtuse or because he is insensitive, but because he is supernaturally guarded by a fully armed strong man.

His goods [i. E. , the souls of men] are in peace . . .

Psalm 73 gives a picture of the souls of men as guarded by Satan: they are not in trouble as other men. . . . Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. It is necessary to keep in mind that this is the bible view of the man of the world, and our lords parable is an amazing analogy. The analogy generally presented is that the world- ling is miserable, but no one could be described as being in peace who had not got his hearts desire;

He is satisfied with the world as it is, satisfied with the morality he has got. According to our lord that kind of peace is no sign of being right with god. We talk glibly about Jesus being the prince of peace, but when he comes into the world that is peaceably ruled by Satan, he comes to send a sword, not peace. But when a stronger than he shall come upon him . . . Satan is overcome not in a battle, but by the easy might of a power greater than his own coming upon him, and that power is none other than our lord himself. Every now and again when you look at life from a certain angle it seems as if evil and wrong and legalised iniquity are having it all their own way and you feel that everything must go to pieces; but it doesnt, around it is the sovereignty of god, hither to shalt thou come, but no further. Blessed be the name of god, evil shall not ultimately triumph! Let evil do its worst, let the arrogance of self-interested iniquity in all shapes and forms surge as it may, but he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the lord shall have them in derision. The spirit of god shat- ters every power of the world, the flesh and the devil, every power of sin and the domination of Satan. The stronger than he is our lord himself. The power of Jesus rests on his holiness. No man ever success- fully contends with satan saving in the power of the highest. We can open mens eyes by the power of the spirit, but not all the opening of mens eyes will ever accomplish what the spirit accomplishes, because he leads us to the highest, our lord himself, and enables us to realise that it is he who has overcome. . . . He taketh from him his whole armour wherein he trusted. Satan is not partially overcome, he is absolutely overcome, every bit of his armour wherein he trusted is taken from him. The presence of Jesus means the total expulsion of satan. When we are born again the holy spirit brings to us the realisation of what Jesus Christ has done, and the great emancipating point of personal experience is not that we have power to overcome, but that he has overcome; then the holy spirit instructs us all along the line how we can successfully battle against the encroachments of Satan. When by gods grace we enter into the amazing liberty of salvation and sanctification, then comes the responsibility of walking in the light, and as we keep in the light we are able to identify ourselves with Jesus Christs victory in such a way that it is manifested in us; but this depends on our keeping in the light.

In Luke 11:2426 our lord shows that a moral victory may be realised, emancipating and definite, a man recognises it, he is proud of the victory gained, and Satan recognises it too; but in that condition it is almost impossible to bring him anywhere near Jesus. To use a moral victory aright a man ought eagerly to ask for the holy spirit to come in, for he will bring the presence of the one who is stronger than Satan. Unless a moral victory in a mans heart means that Jesus has got right of way there, he will find that what he says is true, the last state of that man becometh worse than the first (RV). A man may for a shorter or longer period be master of himself, but sooner or later his will must bow to a power greater than himself.

We have to develop a saintly character by fight. Jesus Christ fits us to be overcomers. Through the forces that are against him god is making a finer type of man than the first Adam, a man more worthy to be his son. That is the meaning of his marvellous redemption. Everything that Satan and sin have marred is going to be reconstructed and readjusted.